A Providence Stadium: Strike Out or Home Run?

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Reception at 6 p.m., program begins at 6:30 p.m.

Friedman Auditorium, Metcalf Research Building, 190-194 Thayer Street

Sold Out: 200 tickets were made available to individuals who registered (and provided in the order they registered.) Registrants should arrive by 6:20. Open seats will be provided to individuals on the wait list at 6:25 pm. A simulcast of the program will be available at Carmichael Auditorium in the Building for Environmental Research and Teaching at 85 Waterman Street for individuals with wait list tickets that cannot be accommodated and additional overflow.

The Taubman Center for Public Policy joins with Rhode Island Public Radio to convene a panel of experts to address the proposed relocation of the Pawtucket Red Sox to a new stadium in downtown Providence. Sports Economist Victor Matheson, Urban Planning and Design Expert Jack Robbins and Charles Steinberg, Executive Vice President & Senior Advisor to the President/CEO of the Boston Red Sox will join Rhode Island Public Radio's Ian Donnis for a discussion of the possibilities and pitfalls of this project, the economics of baseball stadiums and the potential impact for Providence and Rhode Island.

Professor James Morone, director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University will offer welcoming remarks.

This event will be live streamed and will be taped for airing on Rhode Island Public Radio. Tweet questions with #PawSoxForum.

Victor Matheson, professor of economics at Holy Cross, earned his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and his B.A. from St. Olaf College. Matheson specializes in sports economics, specifically the economic impact of “mega-sporting events” on host cities; public finance; the economics of lotteries and gambling; and natural resource economics. In particular, his sports economics research, which dispels the notion that major events (such as the Olympics, World Series and Super Bowl) and new sports infrastructure (such as stadiums or arenas) provide large economic dividends for host cities have made him a widely sought-after expert.

He has provided expert commentary to dozens of media outlets including The New York Times, National Public Radio, The Boston Globe, ESPN, the Associated Press, CBS Evening News, American Public Media's Marketplace, CNN, and MSNBC.com, among others. Matheson is the author of over 80 scholarly articles or book chapters on a wide variety of topics. During Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics, he published an op-ed in The Chicago Tribune titled "Bid's rejection could be for the best," and The New York Times republished his earlier op-ed about New York's bid for the 2012 Summer Games, titled "Luck of the Draw." During the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Nate Silver’s fivethirtyeight.com published his economic analysis of the country’s new soccer stadiums.

Jack Robbins joined FXFOWLE in 2012, and was promoted to Principal in 2014. Accomplished as both an architect and urban designer, Jack Robbins works with public and private clients worldwide to create vibrant, sustainable cities. He brings a design-oriented approach and international experience to creatively solving complex urban challenges. Jack has extensive experience leading large, collaborative, multi-disciplinary teams to deliver design solutions that are both innovative and realizable. His projects include multi-family residential developments, both affordable and luxury; commercial office buildings; transportation centers; and large scale master plans for public, private, and institutional clients. He has a particular expertise in waterfront and urban infrastructure-related projects.

Jack is currently leading teams on several mixed use development projects in New York, New Jersey, and Washington, DC. Recently, he led FXFOWLE's urban design for the Southern Manhattan Multi Purpose Levee, a resiliency infrastructure feasibility study for the City of New York, and for the Penn's Landing Master Plan in Philadelphia. He served as Senior Designer/Planner on the firm's team for Atlanta's Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal (MMPT), completed for a public-private partnership of developers and the Georgia Department of Transportation. The project includes a mixed use terminal for bus (local, regional, and intercity), rail (light rail, commuter, and high-speed), with integrated office and residential towers as well as a master plan for 119 acres of downtown Atlanta. MMPT has been recognized by World Architecture News with a 2013 Transport Award (future scheme), and a 2014 Urban Design Award by the American Institute of Architects, New York State.

Jack frequently speaks at conferences and symposia, and for several years has taught a course on planning and design at the New York University Schack School of Real Estate. His writings have appeared in Architectural Record, World Architecture, and The New York Times. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University and a Master of Architecture degree from the Yale School of Architecture.